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Shooters World powder?

It seems not. The old Accurate Arms version of 2015 is still available in Europe as Lovex SO-60. Looking at Shooters World, they don't show an SW version in their list. When I used more fast burners than I do nowadays, I was a fan of this powder too - a lovely flexible number. You could contact SW and ask if they have any plans to add this grade to their range.

I like the new Canadian version even better, but that was a great powder too. I can't believe no one picked it up to sell it.
 
I loaded up 20 rounds and shot it yesterday at 117 yards. No I didn't shoot any thru the chronograph. It was already 2pm and starting to snow. Temp was about 30 degrees and wind was from the West at 5-10mph. I changed scope mount etc...so had to put a zero back on the gun as well but I figured a quick test would tell me something.

when I went for a good group I should've shot it at a different target so I could measure it better but it's what I had laying around.

I also had 5 loads left of Varget....both loads the Varget and SW powder where loaded at 29.8gr. and I was fire forming cases from 6BR to 6BRA. The Varget load the bolt didn't lift too hard but does lift harder than the SW powder did. I noticed that before with the Varget load and it was 5 rounds I had left still loaded. I'll also say I feel that the SW powder seems to burn cleaner but I'd like to put 50 rounds thru the gun to get a better test going.

Bullets where 107SMK tipped. Fed205m primers and the bullets where .010" off the lands.

Pictures attached.

Later, Frank
 

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Didn't shoot for accuracy today but shot a few rounds over my magnetospeed V3 to get things rolling. My varget load has been shot for all 1300rds that's on this barrel.

Bighorn TL3, 28" Benchmark 1-7.5, 104 freebore, with a SiCo Omega direct threaded on the end with a flat end cap. Berger 105 hybrid seated .010 off the lands.

55°, light wind, heavy mirage, 100yds

Varget 32.5 - 3019

Shooters World Precision
31 - 2926
31.5 - 2936
32 - 2984
32.5 - 3018

These were just 5 shot averages and I didnt record the SD although all these small groups only varied a few fps for each charge load. I did not experience any pressure indications even though max load for a 107 was listed at 31.3grs on the bottle.
 
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I'm the impatient type and gave up for now on the Varget. 8# jug of Precision arrived today. 107 SMKs to arrive in a few days. I have Fed 205M, Fed Champion 205, CCI 450, Rem 7 1/2 and WSR primers. My tentative plan is to start with about a 2,500 FPS load and work up with the CCI 450 and the Fed205M using the SW Precision powder and stop at the first good node with each primer type. Hopefully the Federals will do well as I have a BUNCH of them in my stash and they should last me until I can no longer hold a rifle....LOL If they don't work I will go from there. If I find the group sizes with the different primers are 2 or 3 tenths that will be fine for my purposes... 500 meters max for the Ram Line in HP silhouette.... (Standing with no sling.)

Lots of experienced and meticulous shooters/reloaders here and it is Very interesting to hear some of the various tricks, tips and thought processes... I appreciate the PMs and Thank you Gentlemen who shared your thoughts!
 
I'm the impatient type and gave up for now on the Varget. 8# jug of Precision arrived today. 107 SMKs to arrive in a few days. I have Fed 205M, Fed Champion 205, CCI 450, Rem 7 1/2 and WSR primers. My tentative plan is to start with about a 2,500 FPS load and work up with the CCI 450 and the Fed205M using the SW Precision powder and stop at the first good node with each primer type. Hopefully the Federals will do well as I have a BUNCH of them in my stash and they should last me until I can no longer hold a rifle....LOL If they don't work I will go from there. If I find the group sizes with the different primers are 2 or 3 tenths that will be fine for my purposes... 500 meters max for the Ram Line in HP silhouette.... (Standing with no sling.)

Lots of experienced and meticulous shooters/reloaders here and it is Very interesting to hear some of the various tricks, tips and thought processes... I appreciate the PMs and Thank you Gentlemen who shared your thoughts!

The Fed primer will not take max loads in a lot of guns due to the thinner material it is made of, but the cci450 will take full pressure. As will the Rem 7 1/2.
 
I shot two loads today in a quick test with the Varget replacement.

In 6BRA formed cases. Barrel length is 26” and standard .237” bore and 5R rifling.

30.5gr gave 2729fps average. ES of 27 and a SD of 9.
31.0gr gave me 2762fps average. ES of 37 and a SD of 15.

Fed205M primer.
107SMK tipped bullet .010” off the lands.

Both loads the groups where nice and small and consistent. Just had to deal with the wind some. It was up to 10mph and would drop off quick and come back fairly quickly but wasn’t being consistent.

Also to be fair on the velocities it was only 30 degrees out. I only pulled the rifle and ammo out to do the quick test because I was double checking zeros on hunting rifles for our gun deer season which opens tomorrow so I figured I’d pull the 6BRA out to get a quick base line on velocities.

No funky bolt lift issues etc...and primers all look normal as well. I’ll load some more up at 31.5 and finish shooting the rest of those other loads next time out and see what the 31.5 does for me.

I was hoping for more velocity then what I got as the H4895 at 30.5gr. I’m in the upper 2800’s but again let’s go for the accuracy first and the velocity second. So as far as the accuracy goes it’s doing nothing weird. Nice and consistent on the formed cases or fire forming.

Later, Frank
 
Yes so62 ? Little hotter than Varget in a Palma load . works great in a Match AR 1-8 twist .
With 80 Gr. Bullets .
The lot I have has funny Size and shapes to the sticks of powder ? I have not found that to be a problem.

N-150 was best in my BR with 107’s ?

During a previous Varget drought I discovered Viht N140 was identical to Varget grain for grain. I used it in 6BR, 6.5x47 and 308 loads. It actually performed slightly better in the 308 loads. The Viht might be a little more temp sensitive though so it will depend on your application, but should do fine. And yes, Viht might be a slight more expensive as well but matches great.
 
Looking for a little guidance.

Since I posted the results above I've rebarreled my comp gun. 26" HH 1-7.5 twist with 104 FB. Still have the Omega on the end.

I wanted to shoot a lighter load this time around so I started at 31.8 with SW Precision and worked up to 32.5.

32grs yielded accuracy in the high 2's with a speed of 2896fps SD 4.3. On a sunny 55° day I was stoked.

Several days later at 54° and a little cloudy I got 2884fps and a SD of 5.7. Still good but thought it was weird that it was slower with almost identical conditions.

Shot again today. 64° sunny and nice. 2926fps and an SD of 9.2. Pretty shocked it was over 40fps faster than the last time. Accuracy was still excellent with the biggest group being in the high 3's.

Barrel has about 225rds on it now. Not sure if it is speeding up or this powder is not as temp stable as advertised. I'll be doing more testing over the next couple of weeks.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Is this a 6 BR or 6BRA? In one of your post in November with 32.0 GRS you had the same velocity 2984fps. Don't know if your barrel is speeding up or conditions were changing.I haven't got to shoot yet because of a shoulder injury. Keep updates please.
 
Are you counting the first shot out of the barrel each time (cold bore) or are you shooting the cold bore shot off the chrony then recording after that? Also, may want to also record the humidity or density altitude each string over the chrony. Just a thought...
 
It's a 6 dasher. I count the cold bore and these were all 10 shot strings. The 2984 was from a different barrel and is roughly 100fps more than I w and s getting recently at 2890ish besides today. I'm shooting in the same spot each time but I did not record humidity or DA. I will from now on.
 
Some barrels do and some don’t.

Is your first shot on your barrel from a clean barrel and the velocity is low?

If the first shot is slower than the rest and it’s from a clean barrel than that to me is telling me the barrel wants some sort of fouling thru it. Probably a bad way to explain it but to some that powder fouling/maybe a little bit of copper acts like a lubricant and or helps build a little pressure.

I had a 6x47 Lapua that would do that. The first two shots where about 30-40fps slower than the rest. At a 100 yards you could barely tell a difference in the accuracy of the first 5 shot group but at a 1k yards if it was the first rounds thru it the very first round would be a mid ring 9 out the bottom. The second round would be a mid ring 10 out the bottom (assuming my wind call was) after that the gun would hold 1/3moa at a 1k yards.

Also keep in mind as the barrel wears it will change over time and as it wears/gets higher round count on it you will lose velocity. Your barrel at 225 rounds shouldn’t be speeding up anymore/changing. Usually if a barrel speeds up/changes it’s in the first 100 or so rounds.
 
If the first shot is slower than the rest and it’s from a clean barrel than that to me is telling me the barrel wants some sort of fouling thru it. Probably a bad way to explain it but to some that powder fouling/maybe a little bit of copper acts like a lubricant and or helps build a little pressure.

I don't know why, but three fast-twist 224 barrels set up for 90s in 223 Rem I used in the past (two New Zealand 6-groove True-flites; the other, one of your 4-groove Bartleins, Frank - all 'Heavy Palma' profile) exhibited this tendency in an exaggerated form. It took at least three rounds, better four or five to settle from clean. The issue was (reduced) MV, hence primarily variable elevation POIs.

This was bad news in the days when my club matches followed the traditional UK prone format of a rigid 2 (convertible) sighters + 20 to count. Unless I had the chance to foul the barrel previously, I was pretty well guaranteed to drop at least one point, usually a couple at the start of a match and the 'sighters' weren't sighting shots at all, rather 'foulers'. (Since then we've adopted the national league practice of a one or two minute pre-match 'blow-off' onto the backstop sand, so it wouldn't be an issue now.)
 
I don't think any of the Eastern block powders are going to be "temperature stable". My guess is that it is going to be more similar to R15 than Varget.
 

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